The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-05
MISS OLGA LTUBlT0VITCH,
THE POOR PXILE TO SIBERIA
WHOSE MO5ESTY
Was Outraged by Russian Soldiers
-Tolstops Interpretation OF
Christian Submission.

known Siberian Traveller, recently
visited Count Tolstoi in Russia. and
publishes in the June Century" an
account of the great novelist's social
and political views. Mr.. KEENAN,
had Just made an extended tour IN
Siberia, under the auspices of the
Century Magazine" and was the
bearer Of important messages to Ioi-
stoi from some of the political exiles.
The following passage illustrates
both the cruelty of the exile system
and the fixedness of Tolstois views
on the subject of non-resistance:
There finally came into my mind a
case which, although really not worse
than many that l had already pre-
sented to him, would, | thought, APP
peal with peculiar force to brave,
sensitive, chivalrous man. Count
Tolstoi,' | said, three or four years
ago there was arrested in one OF the
provinces of European Russia a
young, sensitive, cultivated woman
named Olga Liubatovitch. l will
not relate her whole history; it
is enough to say that, inspired
by ideas which, even if mis-.
taken, were at least unselfish and
heroic, she, W tn hundreds OF other
young people Of both sexes, under
took to overturn the existing system
of government. She was arrested,
thrown into prison, and after being
kent for a year in solitary confne-
ment she was exiled to Siberia by
administrative process. You per-
haps know-or if you do not know |
can tell you-what hardships' and
sufferings and humiliations a young
girl must undergo who is sent to ST.
IBERIA alone by etape" with COM
mon criminal party. You can mag
inc the state Of nervous excitement,
the abnormal mental and emotional
condition, to which she is brought by
months Of riding in spriDgless tele-
gas; by being compelled to yield to
the demands OF nature under the
eyes of soldier, and by sleeping for
weeks on the hard benches and in
the foul air of "etapes" swarming
with vermin. In this abnormal men
tai and emotional condition Olga
Liubatovitch reached the town Of
Krasnoyarsk in Eastern Siberia. She
had up to this time been permitted
! to wear her own dress and her OWL
| underclothipg; but at Krasnoyarsk
the local governor directed that she
should put on the dress Of Ia common
convict. She refused to do 80, upoI
the ground that administrative ex
lies had the right to wear their owl
clothing, and that if convict dress
had been obligatory, she would have
been required to put it on, before she
left Moscow. The local governol
insisted on obedience 10 his order
and Miss Liubatovitch persisted il
refusal. l do not know the reason
, for her obstinacy, but as convicts ar
not alwas supplied with new clothing
,, and are sometimes compelled to pu
on garments which have alread
been worn by others and which ar
foul and full OF vermin, it is not dill
+, ficult to suggest number OF goo
! | reasons for Directing to such
change. The chief of police and tn
6 officer OF the convoy were final
4 directed to use force. In their pres
ence, and that of half a dozen othe
men. three or four soldiers seized tn
. poor girl and attempted to take o
4 her clothes. She resisted
y and then followed horribl
scene OF violence and unavailing sci
. defense. Her lips were cut in tt
contest and her face covered wit
blood, but she continued to resist
long as she had strength. In spi
q of her cries, appeals and struggle
r, she was finally overpowered, Stripe
?, naked, under the eyes OF six or eigIl
men, and forcibly reclothed in II
c. coarse convict dress. Now, sal
e suppose all this had occurred
l. your presence; suppose that tn
~ bleeding, defenseless, half naked 81
= had appealed to you for protectio
u and had thrown herself into yo1
lo arms; suppose that it had been 20,
N daughter-would you still have r
y fused to interfere by an act OF vi
lenceT -,
"He was silent. His eyes fill,
with tears as his imagination pic
ured to him the horror OF such 81
uation, but for a moment he made
reply. Finally he said, DO you knC
absolutely that that thing was done
"No,' l said, because | did n
see it done; but | have it from t.
eve witnesses, one of them a lady
whose statements | put implicit tru
and the other an officer Of the ex
administration. They saw it a
they told me-
"Again he was silent. Final
ignoring my direct question as
what he personally would have do
. in such a case, Count Tolstoi sa
Even under such circumstanc
violence would not be justifiab
Let us analyze that situation caref
". l will grant, for the sake of
gument, that the local governor "
ordered the act of violence was
ignorant man, cruel man, bru
man-what you will; but he prol
bly had an idea he was doing
duty; he probably believed he v
enforcing law OF the government
which he owed obedience and servi
You suddenly appear and set 20,
self up as a judge in the case; you
sumo he is not doing his duty-t
he is committing an act of unjustii
BILE violence; and then, with stral
inconsistency, you proceed to agg
vate and icomplicate the evil byyo
self committing another act of uni
tifiable violence. One wrong ado
to another wrong does not make
right; it merely extends the ares
wrong. Furthermore, your res
ance, in order to be effective, in or
to accomplish anything, must be
rected against the soldiers who
committing the assault. But tn
soldiers are not free agents; they
subject to military discipline and
acting under orders which they d
not disobey. To prevent the exc
ton OF the orders you must kill
,oaim two ar threa of tho soldier